Senior departures at Sunday Times

Tuesday 22 May 2007 12.03 EDT
First published on Tuesday 22 May 2007 12.03 EDT

Veteran Sunday Times journalists Maurice Chittenden and Gareth Walsh are leaving News International as the company finalises plans for a new cost-cutting drive.

Their departure comes as Sunday Times editor John Witherow and other News International executives - including Sun editor Rebekah Wade and Times editor Robert Thomson - meet News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch in New York to finalise their budgets for the 2007-2008 financial year that starts in July.

Multimillion-pound budget cuts are expected across News International's four titles after a fall in profits.

Chittenden and Walsh are understood to have taken voluntary redundancy. Chittenden, a former News of the World reporter, is expected to return to the Sunday Times on Saturdays to night edit the paper on a freelance basis.

The Sunday Times night editor and general news reporter is leaving after 21 years on the paper as News International seeks an across-the-board budget cut that some sources put at 4%.

Chittenden outlined his decision in an email sent to colleagues over the weekend, after the last edition of the Sunday Times went to bed.

"Maurice will be much missed," said one colleague. "As will his irreverent Christmas speeches in which he lampoons all the news reporters on the paper."

Walsh, a Sunday Times news reporter, is also leaving after 10 years.

He is understood to have taken voluntary redundancy but declined to comment when contacted by MediaGuardian.co.uk.

The departures of Chittenden and Walsh come as Mr Witherow and the Sunday Times managing editor, Richard Caseby, look to shed more jobs.

For the past few weeks, the paper's management is understood to have "let it be known" among staff that requests for voluntuary redundancy would be looked on "favourably". Redundancies are also expected at other News International titles.

The Sunday Times did not return calls in time for publication.

The proposed cuts at Wapping come at a potentially sensitive time for parent company News Corporation, which is attempting to buy Wall Street Journal owner Dow Jones for $5bn (£2.6bn).

Mr Murdoch would not want news of cuts to UK newspapers including the Times and Sunday Times to stop members of the Bancroft family, who control Dow Jones, selling their stake to him.

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